BBC commentator John McEnroe faces backlash over Serena Williams' weight loss drug comment
American former professional tennis player and BBC commentator John McEnroe has come under fire for remarks he made about Serena Williams following her return to Wimbledon.
McEnroe, 67, was commentating live on the BBC on Wednesday (1 July) when the tennis legend, 44, made her highly-anticipated return to the sport after four years away.
After taking a wild card, Williams fell to a 6-3 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 defeat by Australian contender Maya Joint in the first round on Wimbledon's Centre Court.
Commenting on her performance, McEnroe declared: “Serena has got really fit, she's used a weight loss drug, I bet that will go up the roof now!”
Advert
While Williams has been open about using GLP-1 medication previously, having partnered with the telehealth platform Ro, the comment still left a bad taste in some viewers’ mouths.
One X user questioned in disbelief: “Did anyone hear what John McEnroe just said about Serena and the weight loss drug?!”
While a second angrily wrote: “For god sake, a woman made a successful career out of tennis and she has talent. Can we celebrate?”
Another fan defended the commentator, though, writing: “Tbf Serena has been fairly open about it. And it's McEnroe, can't be surprised about him having zero filter.”
Others said McEnroe was biased against Serena's opponent Joint.
One tennis fan brutally chimed in with: “Dear @BBC How do I make a complaint about the appallingly biased and disrespectful commentary from John McEnroe regarding Maya Joint.
“A 20-year-old tennis player, who is daring to play very well against Serena Williams. We pay this man’s salary, as TV licence fee payers, and he is an absolute disgrace #Wimbledon.”
While another wrote: “McEnroe VERY quiet now Joint has won! ALL he talked about all game was Serena Serena.”
Williams revealed in August 2025 that she had started taking a GLP-1 receptor agonist after welcoming her second daughter, Adira River.
Speaking on the TODAY show, she explained: "A lot of people have been wondering about my new fitness journey and what I've been doing, and I've been really open about me being on GLP-1s and I thought it was really important to come out and say it.
"So I'm on a GLP-1 through Ro.co and for me it was just really about taking away that stigma of like, is it a lazy way? Is it a shortcut, why would you do that?"
She detailed how her body was ‘missing something’ no matter what she did, which included ‘playing professional tennis and training five hours a day’.
Williams explained: “I would always work my way to one point at the scale and it would never go below that.
"So for me, eventually when GLP-1s came out it was like, no way! No how! That's not for me, don't sign me up! But then I looked at it as a sport, as an opponent.
"Like, OK, I can't beat this opponent no matter what I do, I have to try something different. I tried something different, it didn't work and so eventually I saw my friends using it, I saw a lot of people on it and I tried it and it actually worked."
Tyla has contacted the BBC, Wimbledon, and a representative for Enroe for comment.
Madison Burgess